so peaceful

Peace really is what I felt while watching Koisenu Futari. It's like watching your best and happiest dream unfold on repeat, just full of warm and contented feelings. One of the special people in my life is an aroace. She's a remarkable woman, gifted and strong, but also lonely and often feels misunderstood. I feel like I understand her a little bit better now after watching this drama. And while Issei Takahashi was the originating reason why I found Koisenu Futari, the theme is what made me determined to watch it.

Don't we all want to live our best and happiest life? And what does that look like for each of us individually?

That's the question that both Takahashi-san and Sakuko have to answer for themselves. Takahashi always gave of himself to fulfill the expectations of his grandmother and of society. He lived in the same, in the now, and he never let himself think his life could be any different. He blessed Sakuko so much, freeing her to be her true self, teaching her that it's okay for her to be different no matter what anyone else said. And she returns that favor to him tenfold by helping him discover just who he wants to be and what he wants to do and equipping him to follow that dream.

Everyone goes into dramas with preconceived ideas of what it will be like. This drama was none of my preconceived ideas. I'd even settled on disliking Kazu-kun because he just seemed like someone who would annoy me. When in fact he also became such an integral part of Takahashi and Sakuko's development, and he grew and changed so much through the course of the drama. I didn't like Sakuko's sister, until I suddenly did. I thought some elements would end up being tropes and they weren't. And of course, the ultimate fear that the story would devolve into a love story, which it never did.

Koisenu Futari is perfect. Its value is so far-reaching and I hope it gains more traction and viewers. Thanks to Kaizen Subs for their hard work. Many thanks to the brilliant performances of Issei Takahashi and Yukino Kishii. The more I learn of Takahashi-san's filmography, the more I love him. He doesn't settle for the norm, but stretches boundaries. If you want another equally magnificent drama starring him, try Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru. Another hands' down favorite, only this time he plays a man who I believe is on the autism spectrum.

Read More

I would have loved having a teacher like Takayanagi Sensei. Gender, age, none of it would have mattered because the information being shared is so invaluable.

The drama covers attempted rape to bullying to self-harm by cutting and everything in between. Some episodes are stronger than others. There's an episode that deals with a teen girl trying to seduce her homeroom teacher, and that just made me roll my eyes because it was frustratingly melodramatic and tropy. I also wasn't sure what to think about the episode with the creepy pedophile dude. While I'm sure that happens, it felt melodramatic in ways that lowered the episode's credibility. Also, it's easy to lose track of who is who, especially if some of the characters aren't strongly focused on again after their individual episode. It's easy to forget what their specific story was since the focus is so strong on Aizawa and Taniguchi in their relation to Takayanagi. Everyone else fades a little bit into the background.

Speaking of Aizawa, I wasn't keen on her. She's the one character I could have done without because she was the trope. The angst-riddled teen girl in love with her high school teacher (and she's not even the teen girl I was talking about trying to seduce her homeroom teacher! It happened twice in the same series!). There was nothing original about her, and while I felt bad for her, there was also nothing truly likable about her. I'm sorry, but what girl in their right mind decides to fall in love with their ETHICS TEACHER? It was just weird and she annoyed me.

But, all of the Aizawa stuff aside, the show is brilliant and extremely relevant. Where is the line drawn between individual rights and collective rights? When is it possible for the bullied to become bullies? How does collectivism morph into totalitarianism? All extremely relevant questions for the time in which we live where if someone dares to have an opinion contrary to the popular one, they're burned alive online. Emotion trumps logic in this new world of ours.

At the end of the day, Takayanagi Sensei is still a bit of an enigma. The character is a private person and we only get to know him as much as any of the people who interact with him know him. It's implied by how he behaves that he is a deeply damaged individual whose only desire is to teach his students to think for themselves and make rational, informed decisions that respect themselves and others. He is a teacher, and we see him only as a teacher. If Yuki Yamada never stars in another worthwhile role, at least he starred as Takayanagi. I've been waiting for "his role" to come along, and this is it. Not as a romantic male lead, but as something so very much more valuable.

I will undoubtedly rewatch "Koko wa Ima kara Rinri desu" many, many times. Because it is just that good.

From now on, we begin ethics.

Read More

I don't know why, but no one can do these types of stories like the Japanese. And Shakespeare, apparently. Even knowing part of what was coming, I still got so invested in the main couple. It was just really beautiful and so hard. And very unfair, but that's life, you know, and that's the sense I got from this drama, the push to still move forward even when everything in you wants to just give up because the pain seems so bad.

I want to say that I don't really care about the other 2 sets of characters, but that's not entirely true. Their storylines intersect with the main couple in interesting ways so they're sort of necessary. But I really couldn't stand Kyapiko. I get why she is the way she is, but that doesn't make me like her any better. She and her bff Jimiko were the only ones I didn't care for. Everyone else was amazing, and I have to give extreme kudos to Shotaro Mamiya and Hinako Sakurai for their performances. Outstanding, by far, and the main reason why this movie lingers in my memory and emotions.

Read More

looking forward to season two

Here's the thing.

I liked the idea a lot, and I feel like it was well executed. But I'm not a fan of Akaso Eiji or Yunagi Shuntari in the main roles. I'm especially not keen on Yunagi as Yobi, honestly. Something about him just didn't work, could have been that he doesn't wear bleached hair well, at all. Some guys do and some guys don't and he definitely does not, imo. If the casting choices for these two characters had been different than I might have been more engaged.

HOWEVER, with that said, I still enjoyed it and it was a very intense ride. And I'm anticipating the second season a lot since it focuses on Kara more (and I am in favor of Sakaguchi Kentaro in that role) and Itagaki MIzuki is supposed to put in an appearance and I'm rapidly becoming his fan. So I feel like for me, the 2nd season will be better and more engaging. Not that the first season was bad, it's just that I feel it focused on the wrong things. I would have loved it if we could have just jumped right into what promises to be an intense 2nd season and skipped the 1st season entirely.

Still, it's well worth a watch. I love that we've got some intense Jdramas coming out this year. Try Kamenashi Kazuya's "Shoutai" if you want another interesting one. Subbed by Mia-maw!

Read More

as near to perfect as humanly possible

I don't give many 10 star ratings, but this drama was as near to perfect as a crime/law drama can be. While Kamenashi is definitely the headliner, had they cast a different, equally talented actor, I would have still given it 10 stars. The story is just that compelling to me. If there's one downside it's that I need to watch the drama again to fully grasp the nuances of the plot. It's the problem that happens when binging a crime drama, everything runs together and becomes a little muddled, but that's more my fault than the drama's fault. I just didn't want to stop watching.

A few thoughts right now are these.

It's moving to have a Japanese drama depict a Christian minister with such kindness and honesty. That's not how they're depicted in western entertainment, so I love that she really was as kind, compassionate, generous, understanding, and all of the things that a pastor should be. She was an amazing character and it touched me that she was designed that way on purpose.

If Kamenashi is capable of this type of performance, that's what I want to see from him every single time he steps in front of the camera. The energy, the passion, the obvious connection he made to the character he was playing. He brought Takano-san to life in a way that I haven't seen from him in a few years. That spark that makes him an incredible actor was there, again, finally. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I watched Seigi no Tenbin.

I have to give a shout-out to Kitayama Hiromitsu. I haven't seen him in anything else and a lot of idol actors get a little bit of a bad rap, but he definitely piqued my interest. He gave a deeply compelling supporting role performance as one of the lawyers working under Takano.

It was also fun for see Kamenashi and Aya Omasa reunited. They're both far more mature than when they were in Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge together, but I couldn't help smiling at the good memories I have of that show whenever they were in the same scene for Seigi no Tenbin.

The end message is that if there's even the smallest chance that someone can be rehabilitated, then we should at least try. There's this message of hope, of potential, of even forgiveness and moving on from hatred and revenge that just really spoke to me. I love Seigi no Tenbin. I think it's brilliant, superior to Red Eyes which was fun in its own way, and it's inspiring to see Kamenashi take on roles like Takano with so many emotional nuances and do them well. I'm excited to see what the future holds for his acting career. May he continue to make amazing choices.

Read More

Meh

It started out cute, probably a 7-star drama, but after episode 6 it deteriorated quickly.

I feel like the story wasn't quite sure what it was doing, and the writers also weren't sure what to do with Mamiya-kun. He's sweet, then he's demanding, then he's sweet again, and everyone's saying how he puts everyone else first, but that was never the impression of him that I got. His selfishness was very apparent in his behavior towards the heroine, and in the end, it really ended up turning me off him. I rolled my eyes at how the characters were trying to paint him as this self-sacrificing person, when clearly his own goals and his independence and his desires were primary in his mind. Painting him in any other way when I'm not blind and can see his true character quite clearly was ridiculous. I'm not saying he shouldn't have put his own life first, but it's stupid to pretend that's not what he was doing.

Of course, my finishing this drama after watching the pure genius that is Issei Takahashi in "Bokura wa Kiseki de Dekite Iru" probably didn't help my overall opinion.

For me, "Love Kome no Okite" will fade into the background and be utterly forgotten. I've seen so many better Jdramas with a longer-lasting theme. Being prettily filmed does not a quality drama make.

Read More

Sadly, I had to change my review from 7 to 4.5 stars. This is a pretty annoying series, all in all. The age gap between the two leading actors is massive, and it really shows. Yuuki Furukawa is way too reserved for a teenager and Honoka Yohagi was all over the place. I would have given anything for her to stop pursing her lips and just stand still for a second.

I'm less fond of tsundere characters now than when I watched this show and looking back, I don't like it. I would never rewatch it, and I can't believe it got a second season. The ML's mental cruelty for such a long period of time is inexcusable. Frankly, he's just mean, and no amount of cuteness at the end and their romantic scene in the rain is enough to change my mind.

Read More

method acting gone awry

This is actually a really intriguing movie about a method actor who doesn't know where to separate himself from the character. If the character he plays is in love, so is he, and that actually makes him a bad method actor. David Suchet (the British actor who played Poirot for 25 years) is also a method actor and a brilliant one. He became Poirot every time he put the mustache on. That was his triggering point to become the character that he played. The voice, the walk, the demeanor, the stature, everything else fell into place for him once that mustache was put on.

This guy does not have something that triggers him to become the character once the camera (a.k.a the play) is rolling. He just becomes the character permanently until the play is over and he doesn't have a use for the character anymore. This isn't about a guy suddenly discovering he's gay. It's about a guy who can't rein in his method-acting ability and give it a skeleton, a structure. It's really tragic, actually. I mean, his poor wife, suffering through this every time he's in a play? Yikes. This time seems to be worse though since he never filled out any of his method-acting notebooks for Unchain, which means he was even more unstable than usual with not even notebooks to ground him into Walter's motivations and personality traits.

I get people wanting to label this BL, but it's not. I mean, maybe Young Woo is gay or bi, possibly, but even more than that, he's pretty psychotic. The dude had scary vibes rolling off him in waves at the end. Everything they did was done as the characters of Walter and Singer. It's all fake, people. They're so into their characters of Walter and Singer that they're not themselves anymore. Which really means they shouldn't be actors.

It was good, and a really good look into the idea of method acting gone seriously awry. Maybe the original story was intended as BL (I honestly have no idea), but that is not the message I got.

Read More

In the words of Akechi, "not bad." Meaning that "Bishoku Tantei Akechi Goro" is actually quite delicious.

To be fair, I didn't fully know what I was getting into when I started. There was way more death than I was expecting, and that 4th episode is brutal. It felt like I was watching "Silence of the Lambs" or something, but with less gore. The series blends comedy and horror in a way that is peculiarly successful only in Jdramas. It's funny and it's terrifying. Those two things shouldn't go together, but they do.

Bravo for the casting choices. Tomoya Nakamura is a favorite of mine and the main reason I tried this series. He was exceptional, surpassing what I thought him capable of delivering as a performance. I feel even more vindicated in admiring him now after watching this series because he really is just a darn good actor. Fuka Koshiba as Ichigo was also an excellent choice. She's an actress capable of emoting and doing it really well, so I enjoyed all of her scenes. The role of Mary Magdalene is very melodramatic so Eiko Koike performed accordingly. Sometimes she felt over the top, but overall, she was pretty scary. And then we have the actor who just suddenly jumped at me out of nowhere . . . Shinji Takeda as the chef. WOW! First, he does not look 48. And second, that was one incredibly chilling and compelling performance! Kanta Sato was hilarious as the young detective Takahashi with the world's biggest mancrush on Akechi. I know have even more of a reason to try the film versions of "Mischievous Kiss" starring him as Naoki.

Loved the elements of temptation and how it was used. I'm tired of entertainment that focuses on people giving in to temptation and "turning to the Dark Side" as it were. This series frees Akechi at the end, or that's how it seemed to me. Except for that open-ended ending that Japan seems to love so much. Oh boy, I'm hoping for a 2nd season. Or at least I should watch the side story drama if I can find it with subtitles. And also, I'm a sucker for age-gap romances and this one sandwiched the ML between 2 of them, a younger woman and an older woman who were both just crazy about him. There are some plot issues, such as the convenience of escaping death. All entertainment deals in convenience in some way or another, but falling off a cliff or down an elevator shaft should be pretty permanent in real life. Just not in Jdramas. And of course, the comedy might not appeal to everyone. It's a serious drama dealing with serial killers but then we have crazy comedic moments that are just over-the-top. I laughed, but it might not be to everybody's tastes. It's a dark comedy, yep, that's what it is. But also, I'm sorry, Mary Magdalene was demon-possessed in the Bible until Jesus freed her from them. She wasn't a prostitute or an adulteress or Jesus' lover. Entertainment always, always, always gets this wrong. Mary always gets such an unfair bum rap. I rolled my eyes at the whole Mary Magdalene shtick and moved on, but it still irked me at the beginning.

Overall, "Bishoku Tantei Akechi Goro" was great. Like I said, open-ended ending, but it's such an engagingly filmed drama. I couldn't help but love it, flaws and all.

Read More

I admit, the first time I watched it, it was super cute and I was in a romantic mood, and it just seemed so enticing.

But guess what, people, there's still the insane craziness of a high schooler falling in love with his tutor who is FOURTEEN YEARS older than him. Only in fiction would this ever be remotely thought of as okay. In real life, it's not okay, will never be okay, and shouldn't be okay. If he was 24 and she was 38, yes, probably, because at least then he's an adult. But he's barely 16 when they meet. It doesn't matter that Junko is the most clueless female lead on the planet. It means I don't hate her, but it doesn't make it okay.

And I wholeheartedly disagree with folks who want to pretend this is just a drama for entertainment purposes. Entertainment shapes our thinking and before you know it, we've compromised. So no, despite the cuteness of the drama and the actors, this drama is not okay. It's helping to spread the lies that relationships between students and teachers might be fine under certain circumstances. Which means it's actually lowering the expectation of child protection.

In a real-life circumstances, Junko and Yamashita would have been together because they're the only actual LOGICAL match. And he would be so damn easy to fall in love with for practically any woman. She wouldn't have been such a nitwit, and she would have caught on to Yuri's feelings long before and set him straight or found him another tutor. But nope, we're in dramaland which means reality can sometimes take a break at the door, like in this instance.

I wanted to keep loving this drama, but I can't. Which depresses me slightly, but is also freeing in that I can now discern what I will accept and won't in dramaland based on my own moral center.

Read More

You know that moment when you're so stunned by what's happening on the screen that you're holding your breath. Only you don't realize it until you suddenly gasp for air? Yeah, "Red Eyes" has a TON of those moments in store for viewers.

The story is truly for fans of American shows like Person of Interest, 24, Criminal Minds, and even The Mentalist. There's a single enemy to fight who approaches from so many sides and angles to attack KSBC members. Individual episodes focus on attacks to the personal and professional lives of these members and as the audience becomes more attached to the characters, it becomes harder to watch them suffer.

It's also a relational show in that the audience feels the strong connection between Fushimi (Kamenashi), Komaki (Matsumura), Yamazaki (Kimura), and Minatogawa (Shishido). They've partnered together for at least 2 years and there's a strong sense of unity and balance among the characters. There are even potential romantic sparks between KSBC member Nagashino (Shuri) and Komaki (Matsumura).

While Kamenashi is entirely capable of carrying a drama on his own, the supporting cast is superbly skilled, particularly the performances by Shuri and Kavka Shishido. I was first impressed by Shuri when I watched "Love at Least" with Suda Masaki that deals with depression, and I am equally impressed with her here as the supporting role computer genius. Kavka Shishido spends a lot of time partnering with Kamenashi and they pair so well together in fight scenes. This was my first introduction to Hokuto Matsumura from SixTones and he impressed me as Komaki. A geeky, nerdy sort of role that suited him.

Finally, Kazuya Kamenashi. He's the reason I watched "Red Eyes" in the first place. The final episode plays to every single strength that he has (except humor which he doesn't express much at all throughout the series). He always surprises me with his athletic prowess. You'd think by now I'd know what he's capable of accomplishing and doing for the sake of a role. He delighted me and made me cry and is just marvelously brilliant as Kyosuke Fushimi.

The story exhibits a repetitive feel in some unfortunate ways, like Yamazaki always coming up with a famous case that their particular case reminds him of. Sometimes those comparisons feel a little stretched. And I'm still not convinced about the freezer episode. That one felt a bit much. So there are a few weak moments, but not really enough to detract from the overall feel of the series.

I especially love the message being shared, that giving in to evil only results in evil. It's something to be fought against, not indulged. We all have a beast/monster of some sort chewing us up on the inside. It's what we do with that monster that matters. And it's not always about giving way to the emotions we have.

"Red Eyes" is a strong offering to fans of the crime drama, has a terrific OST by KAT-TUN (no surprise there), and showcases a host of excellent talent. Fingers crossed that we might get a sequel. I know we have what looks like a prequel or a special with just Matsumura, Kimura, and Shishido and that's fine, but this has the potential to be several seasons. It would be about time for Kamenashi to have a series that just kept going.

Read More

definitely a new favorite

Do you know how some dramas just make you happy? Well, "Let's Fight, Ghost" makes me happy. It makes me happy because Saint is AMAZING as Off, because his chemistry with Orn as Jeen is off the charts, and because the emotions feel very real. I've watched the Korean version and while I enjoyed it, the Thai version definitely has a tighter plot, an ending that makes more sense, and is just overall more cohesive. Saint has never been more powerful, more intense, and more charismatic than he is as Off. It's like I knew he had it in him but was just waiting for that moment when he would prove it to me. "Let's Fight, Ghost" is that moment.

Read More

How I loved Switch On, let me count the ways!

Let's start with all of the awesome things.

First, I'm a sucker for gaming stories. I grew up watching "Tron" and then "Tron Legacy," so yeah, I love stories where people disappear into or out of games. Is it an original idea now? No, but that doesn't matter, because for me, it's a favorite plot. So all of the VR glasses and the moving between the game world and the real world was awesome. I also love the concept of AI becoming sentient (thanks Terminator), so having Akin reach a level of AI sentience where he can no longer be manipulated by anyone in the game or outside it is brilliant.

Second, his name is Gee and he plays Akin. Yes, please, and thank you. Gee has such a dynamic and expressive acting style. He sold every single experience his character(s) are going through, and by the second episode, I was completely invested in his side of the story. He also managed to wring chemistry out of his female lead, Aom. They were outstanding together, really just sold the relationship elements, and I suspect she wouldn't have given such a strong performance if she'd had a different male lead.

Third, and randomly, but I can't get the soundtrack out of my head which means it's a winner. Love that. If anyone knows the name of the song, please let me know in a comment.

Fourth, Michael, I mean, Peter Tuinstra who plays Michael. That guy is pretty dynamite. He truly knows the language which lent his acting a whole lot of credibility.

Now on to the not-so-great.

First, yes, there is a "twist" ending. But I saw it coming so I wasn't bothered by it, and it kinda made sense, but at the same time, the drama would have probably been stronger without it. Oh well, just skip the last 3 minutes of the series and you'll be fine.

Second, the secondary cast, almost all of them are extremely stiff and wooden, except for Phukhao who plays Leo who I liked. But everyone else, there were times when I felt like they were just reading their lines. This is a shame because I think with a stronger secondary cast the show would have shined more.

Third, yep, we've got some production issues, not so much in the filming itself, but in the fight scenes, doctor scenes, etc. I'm sorry, but I watch a lot of Japanese dramas where they know their martial arts to such a degree that they literally come without a hairs' breadth of connecting with their opponent. It feels real. This did not feel real, so that was disappointing. Gee needs more martial arts lessons if he's going to continue to do these types of dramas.

So there you have it. Even with the flaws, I am personally still rating "Switch On" 9 stars because I love it that much. I know there are complaints from people that it's a "rip-off" or "copy" of a Korean drama. That's fine. Let it be a remake. I love Thai dramas, and so I'm not supporting folks who are going "oh, but the K drama is so much better." That's your opinion and it's fine that you have it, but stop trying to influence folks to not even try "Switch On." If you like Thai dramas and enjoy sci-fi/gaming stories, then go for it. Maybe you'll love "Switch On" as much as I did. One can hope.

Coming up soon will be me watching "Let's Fight, Ghost" with SaintSup, and I am extremely stoked for that one. I actually did watch the original Kdrama "Bring It On, Ghost" and liked it a lot, but since I'm completely in favor of a Thai remake, like I said, I'm stoked. I'm sure Saint will blow all of my expectations out of the water. Because that's just what he does.

Read More

all the feels!

If you like any sort of illness story (terminal or otherwise) then you're probably going to love Hatsukoi Loss Time, just like me. It's a beautiful little movie, so sweet and charming. It has that gorgeously slow pacing of really good Japanese films that just take their time to tell the story.

Of course, viewers are doubly blessed with Mizuki Itagaki in a male lead role. That happens far too rarely for my taste since he is 100% ML material and his role of Kouji is absolutely precious. He's great as a warm or nice male lead, although I'm sure he can be darn scary if he wants to be. Newcomer Sakura Kiryu as Tokine is fabulous. Considering she was, what 14 at the time? Maybe 15 during filming, she gave such an incredible performance. There's a 3 1/2 year age gap between her and Mizuki but you would never know it. I appreciate that they were clearly aware of her age, though, and were careful with her scenes and how they interacted. You can tell that she was being looked after well.

And for those who want to know, yes, there is a happy ending. Sorry, that might be a little bit of a spoiler, but some viewers won't watch one of these types of dramas unless there's a happy ending, and Hatsukoi Loss Time deserves more viewers. It's precious like One Week Friends, and even gives me some of the same feels, although not the angst and grief, as He Won't Kill, She Won't Die. It's just a beautiful, well-acted film that I could pretty much watch on repeat.

Read More

I just wish I liked Himekawa better. I don't know if it's the fault of the actress or just the way the character is designed, but somehow I don't think that her benefactress intended her to be that messed up as an adult. My guess is that therapy isn't really a thing in Japan, or if it is, it's discouraged instead of encouraged, but she would have definitely benefited from years of therapy. At least then she would have been able to move on from her pain instead of clinging to it so sharply and letting it feed her.

The show overall, in terms of episodic plots, is pretty good. Episodes 7-9 nearly lost me with the whole yakuza thing, probably because I would never fall in love with a yakuza, especially not one played by that actor. But the rest of the episodes, I thought were very compelling. The issue still stands of casting Kamenashi in a role without giving him a lot to do other than stand around silently supporting the female lead. That's not enough, imo. In terms of giving him more to do, Red Eyes is a better choice.

What I can say is that the drama was well-performed, very intense, and for those who don't mind the revenge-filled female psyche, would probably be an awesome choice. Sometimes I totally get characters like her and other times, not at all, as in this case. But that doesn't mean the drama wasn't worth my time. I just know that I'll never rewatch it.

Read More